1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic transactions, and more specifically, adjustment of a security level of a self-checkout system.
2. Description of Related Art
Self-checkout systems have become common in retail stores for providing shoppers with the ability to pay for purchases from a retailer without direct input to the checkout process by retailer personnel. Such systems are an alternative to traditional cashier-staffed checkout systems. In self-checkout systems, shoppers are permitted to scan barcodes on their items or products for identifying items to be purchased. Items such as fruits and vegetables may be weighed with a scale and manually identified with a user interface device, such as a touchscreen display. Shoppers may bag items in a bagging area, and a weight observed in the bagging area may be verified against previously stored information to ensure that the correct item is bagged, allowing the shopper to proceed only if the observed and expected weights match. Some self-checkout systems also include devices for verifying that the dimensions of an item match an entered identification of the item.
Self-checkout systems typically include multiple shopper terminals that must be monitored by a shopper assistant. The shopper assistant is responsible for helping shoppers with purchases and for security of the self-checkout environment. Particularly, for example, shopper assistants monitor the self-checkout environment, including multiple shopper terminals, for possible theft attempts. A shopper assistant may be called for intervention at a shopper terminal if a shopper needs assistance with a transaction, or if a security alert indicates that an item at a shopper terminal does not match a stored weight or dimension for the item. As a result of the intervention, the shopper assistant's attention may be diverted away from other terminals, and this may lead to an increased risk of theft at other shopper terminals.
For at least the aforementioned reasons, it is desired to provide systems and methods for aiding shopper assistants in monitoring self-checkout environments.